Flat panel lighting apparatus

ABSTRACT

A flat panel lighting apparatus, which makes it easy to replace a circuit board with LEDs thereon, is provided. The flat panel lighting apparatus includes a backplate, a driving unit, a light guide plate, a frame, a bracket, a circuit board, a connector and a cable connecting the driving unit and the circuit board. The frame with an opening portion is disposed at an outer periphery of the backplate and the light guide plate. The bracket is detachably coupled to the opening portion of the frame. The circuit board with light sources, is disposed in a space between the frame and the light guide plate, and is replaceable in a sliding type through the opening portion of the frame when the bracket is decoupled from the frame. The connector has a female terminal attached to the circuit board and a male terminal detachably coupled to the female terminal.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from and the benefit of Korean PatentApplications No. 10-2016-0046757, filed on Apr. 18, 2016, which ishereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forthherein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a flat panel lighting apparatus, morespecifically to a flat panel lighting apparatus with an LED as a lightsource.

Discussion of the Background

There is a growing interest in eco-friendly energy as the energyconsumption increases worldwide. In particular, energy consumed bylightings accounts for about 20% of the energy consumed in buildings. Asa result, LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), which are highly efficient,eco-friendly lighting fixtures, are in the spotlight. The LED lightinghas a longer life span than conventional incandescent lamps orfluorescent lamps, consumes relatively low power, and is in theexplosion of demand due to the fact that it does not emit pollutants inthe manufacturing process.

Current LED lamps use color temperature of more than 7000K in China, anduse also has high color temperature of 6200K˜6500K in Kora. However, thecolor temperature of a daytime sunlight is 5400˜5700K, and when usingthe temperature of blue light which is higher than sunlight, eyes becomeeasily tired. In fact, a temperature of 5700K is known to be the mostcomfortable temperature for human eyes. In addition, the interest incolor therapy has increased, and various colors are being demanded inthe home. As a result, demand for low-temperature lighting is alsoincreasing.

In general, in order to produce colorful illumination, a separate coverwith a color, a transparent plate with a color and the like have beenused. However, such a lighting lamp has a limitation in producing avariety of lights close to natural colors only with a cover or atranslucent plate to which a color is added. In recent years, variousattempts have been made to overcome these limitations by using LED lightsources to produce various lighting. However, in the case of aconventional LED light fixture, when the life of the LED comes to an endor when a failure occurs, the entire LED light fixture must be replaced,so that an increase in maintenance cost cannot be avoided. Therefore,there is a problem that it is not economical to pursue diversity.

In addition, it is pointed out that the operation is troublesome whenthe components of LED lighting are replaced. In the case of an LEDlighting installed on the ceiling, it is necessary to disassemble and toassemble the components by the worker, while the LED lighting installedon the ceiling, which poses a problem that safety of the worker may bethreatened. In addition, the LED lighting device is characterized by along lifetime. However, the conventional LED lighting device has alimitation that it cannot be changed according to the customer'ssensibility or demand, and it can only be used in a fixed manner untilits life is over.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the technical problem of the present invention is to providea flat panel lighting apparatus which makes it easy to replace a circuitboard on which a plurality of LEDs are mounted thereon.

A flat panel lighting apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention includes a backplate, a driving unit, a lightguide plate, a frame, a bracket, a circuit board, a connector and acable. The driving unit is attached to an outer surface of thebackplate. The light guide plate is disposed on the inner side of thebackplate. The frame is disposed at an outer periphery of the backplateand the light guide plate for fastening the backplate and the lightguide plate thereto, and having an opening portion. The bracket isdetachably coupled to the opening portion of the frame. The circuitboard has a plurality of light sources, is disposed in a space betweenthe frame and the light guide plate, and is replaceable in a slidingtype through the opening portion of the frame when the bracket isdecoupled from the frame. The connector has a female terminal attachedto an end of the circuit board and a male terminal detachably coupled tothe female terminal. The cable connects the driving unit and the circuitboard to provide electric power of the driving unit to the circuitboard.

For example, the bracket may have an insertion groove formed on an innerside thereof, into which the circuit board is inserted.

For example, a cable storage part may be formed on the inner side of theframe, for storing the cable.

For example, the cable storage part may be provided with a partitionwall parallel to the backplate.

For example, the frame may include two protrusions for supporting thecircuit board to be inserted in a sliding type.

For example, the frame may have a rectangular shape, and include aplurality of frame members corresponding to sides, each frame memberbeing separably coupled to each other.

For example, the frame may further include a bridge having an L-shapeand connecting the frame members.

For example, the bracket may be detachably coupled to the outerperiphery of the bridge.

For example, the frame may have a cross-section of L-shape and the edgeportion is pressed to increase the strength of the flat panel lightingapparatus.

According to the flat panel lighting apparatus of the present invention,a component of the lighting apparatus can be separated to replace thelight source, so that easy maintenance and management can be expected.Further, in the replacement work of the lighting apparatus attached tothe ceiling, the work process can be facilitated and the safety of theoperator can be assured. In addition, it can be converted into variouscolor temperatures, which can maximize esthetic effects such as colortherapy.

Thereby contributing to the improvement of the economic efficiency ofthe product as well as the reliability of the product.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a flat panel lightingapparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a flat panel lightingapparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the frame in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a connection structure of a bracket and acircuit board in FIGS. 1 and 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is described more fully hereinafter with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments of thepresent invention are shown. The present invention may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the example embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exampleembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the scope of the present invention tothose skilled in the art. In the drawings, the sizes and relative sizesof layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flat panel lighting apparatusaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.2 is an exploded perspective view of a flat panel lighting apparatusaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the flat panel lighting apparatus 1000 mayinclude a backplate 100, a driving unit, a light guide plate 110, aframe 200, a circuit board 300, a connector 400, a cable 500 and abracket 600. The driving unit may be attached to an outer surface of thebackplate 100. The light guide plate 110 may be disposed on an innersurface of the backplate 100 opposite to the driving unit. The frame 200may be formed at an outer edge of the backplate 100 and the light guideplate 110 to fix the backplate 100 and the light guide plate 110thereto.

In addition, the frame 200 may have a structure in which one corner isopened as shown in FIG. 2. Therefore, the circuit board 300 can beeasily taken out to the outside through the opened structure of theframe 200. In addition, the bracket 600 may be coupled to the openstructure of the frame 200.

In addition, the circuit board 300 may include a plurality of lightsources 310. At this time, the wavelength, the quantity of light, thecolor temperature, and the like of the light source 310 are not limited.In addition, various kinds of light sources 310 may be mixed andinstalled in the circuit board 300. In addition, the circuit board 300may be disposed in a space between the frame 200 and the light guideplate 110.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a coupling structure of the bracket 600, thecircuit board 300, and the connector 400 of the flat panel lightingdevice 1000.

Referring to FIG. 4, an insertion groove 610 is formed on the inside ofthe bracket 600 so that the circuit board 300 can be inserted.Therefore, when the bracket 600 is detached from the frame 200, thecircuit board 300 inserted into the insertion groove 610 of the bracket600 can be detached from the frame 200 together.

A conventional circuit board of a conventional flat panel lightingdevice has a structure in which the cable is soldered to the circuitboard. Therefore, the conventional flat panel lighting devices requiresoldering to replace the circuit board, so there is a cumbersome andsafety problem for the operator. However, the flat panel lightingapparatus 1000 according to the present invention includes the connector400 attached to the circuit board 300 so that the circuit board 300 canbe easily separated from and connected to the cable 500.

The connector 400 includes a female terminal 410 and a male terminal420. The male terminal 420 has a protruding shape, and may be insertedinto and removed from the female terminal 410. The female terminal 410may be formed at the end of the circuit board 300 and the male terminal420 may be connected to the cable 500. The cable 500 and the circuitboard 300 may be connected to each other through the female terminal 410and the male terminal 420 of the connector 400. Therefore, the flatpanel lighting apparatus 1000 according to the present invention caneasily replace the circuit board 300 by separating the male terminal 420from the female terminal 410, thereby providing convenience to theoperator.

Referring to FIG. 2, the reflection plate 120, the light guide plate110, and the diffusion plate 130 may be stacked on the backplate 100 inthis order. The light efficiency can be improved by the reflection plate120, the light guide plate 110, and the diffusion plate 130. However,since the reflection plate 120, the light guide plate 110, and thediffusion plate 130 are not structurally limited, the thickness and thematerial can be adjusted according to functions and applications.Further, another substrate or a thin film may be inserted between thereflection plate 120, the light guide plate 110, and the diffusion plate130.

Referring to FIG. 3, the backplate 100, the reflection plate 120, thelight guide plate 110, and the diffusion plate 130 may be fixed to theframe 200. The frame 200 may have a cross section of ⊂-shape to protectthe backplate 100, the reflection plate 120, the light guide plate 110,and the diffusion plate 130. At this time, fasteners may be insertedinto the holes formed in the backplate 100 and the frame 200, and thereflection plate 120, the light guide plate 110, and the diffusion plate130 may be inserted into the frame 200. Therefore, the frame 200 cansecure the structural strength and stability by fixing the backplate100, the reflection plate 120, the light guide plate 110, and thediffusion plate 130.

Referring again to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the frame 200 may include a cablestorage part 210 having a space formed between the light guide plate 110and the backplate 100. In addition, the cable 500 with enough length maybe stored in the cable storage part 210, in order to allow the circuitboard 300 to be taken out to the outside. Therefore, it is possible toprevent the cable 500 from interfering with the path of light passingthrough the light guide plate 110. In addition, the cable storage part210 may have a partition wall parallel to the backplate 100 to separatethe light guide plate 110 from the cable 500.

In addition, the frame 200 may have two protrusions 220 on the innerwall to define a space for the circuit board 300. In addition, thecircuit board 300 can be inserted into or removed from the space definedby the two protrusions 220 in the frame 200 in a sliding manner.

The frame 200 may have a rectangular structure and may include aplurality of frame members 230 constituting each side as shown in FIG.2. The size of the frame 200 is not limited. The circuit board 300 withthe light source 310 may be disposed correspondingly only to one side ofeach frame member 230, and may be disposed correspondingly to two ormore sides as required. Each of the frame members 230 can be separatedfrom each other or assembled with each other.

The frame 200 may further include a bridge 240 connecting the framemembers 230. The bridge 240 has, for example, an L-shape and can beinserted into the end space of the frame members 230 on both sides. Thebridge 240 may include a fixing hole 242 penetrating therethrough and afixing member 244 inserted into the fixing hole 242. Accordingly, byfastening the fixing member 244 to the fixing hole 242, the connectionof the frame members 230 can be firmly maintained.

In addition, the bracket 600 may be detachably coupled to the outside ofthe bridge 240. The bracket 600 may include an insertion groove 610 intowhich the circuit board 300 is inserted and a tightening hole 620 forbeing coupled with the bridge 240. The bridge 240 may also have atightening hole 250 corresponding to the tightening hole 620 of thebracket 600. When a tightening member 630 is inserted into thetightening hole 620 of the bracket 600 and the tightening hole 250 ofthe bridge 240, the bracket 600 is coupled with the bridge 240.Therefore, in order to replace the circuit board 300 with the lightsource 310, the tightening member 630 is firstly pulled out, and thebracket 600 is moved along −X direction in FIG. 2. Then, the circuitboard 300 inserted into the insertion groove 610 slides out from theframe 200. Therefore, the circuit board 300 can be easily replaced.

In addition, the frame 200 may have an edge portion pressed to haveL-shape cross-section in order to increase the strength of the flatpanel lighting apparatus 1000. Therefore, distortion of the leading flatpanel lighting apparatus can be prevented, and the limitation of theenlargement can be overcome.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variation may be made in the present invention withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it isintended that the present invention cover the modifications andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A flat panel lighting apparatus comprising abackplate; a driving unit attached to an outer surface of the backplate;a light guide plate disposed on the inner side of the backplate; a framedisposed at an outer periphery of the backplate and the light guideplate for fastening the backplate and the light guide plate thereto, andhaving an opening portion; a bracket detachably coupled to the openingportion of the frame; a circuit board having a plurality of lightsources, being disposed in a space between the frame and the light guideplate, and being replaceable in a sliding type through the openingportion of the frame when the bracket is decoupled from the frame; aconnector having a female terminal attached to an end of the circuitboard and a male terminal detachably coupled to the female terminal; anda cable connecting the driving unit and the circuit board to provideelectric power of the driving unit to the circuit board.
 2. The flatpanel lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bracket has aninsertion groove formed on an inner side thereof, into which the circuitboard is inserted.
 3. The flat panel lighting apparatus of claim 1,wherein a cable storage part is formed on the inner side of the frame,for storing the cable.
 4. The flat panel lighting apparatus of claim 3,wherein the cable storage part is provided with a partition wallparallel to the backplate.
 5. The flat panel lighting apparatus of claim1, wherein the frame comprises two protrusions for supporting thecircuit board to be inserted in a sliding type.
 6. The flat panellighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame has a rectangularshape, and includes a plurality of frame members corresponding to sides,each frame member being separably coupled to each other.
 7. The flatpanel lighting apparatus of claim 6, wherein the frame further comprisesa bridge having an L-shape and connecting the frame members.
 8. The flatpanel lighting apparatus of claim 7, wherein the bracket is detachablycoupled to the outer periphery of the bridge.
 9. The flat panel lightingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame has a cross-section of L-shapeand the edge portion is pressed to increase the strength of the flatpanel lighting apparatus.